High school hockey: West Geauga wins first league title in school history (with video and audio)

By Chris Lillstrung

Saturday, February 2, 2013

No News-Herald area hockey program was more overdue for a celebratory dogpile than West Geauga.

In their 12 seasons all-time prior to this campaign, the Wolverines had more mercy-rule losses (47) than total victories (44). They had eight seasons with three wins or fewer. They had been outscored by 1,105 goals.

Saturday, the only number that mattered was No. 1 -- and it led to a dogpile this group will never forget.

Steven Repas' third-period goal propelled West G past Twinsburg, 3-2, and clinched the Wolverines' first-ever league championship in a Blue Central East headliner at Garfield Heights.

Moments after its 12th straight win was secured, West G (17-5, 11-2) gathered in the middle of its defensive zone and joyfully chanted, "Baron Cup," which is where the Wolverines are headed next week at Brooklyn for only the second time in their history.

"Oh my god, it's unbelievable," West G coach Dan Gilliam said. "It's remarkable. These kids have just worked hard day in and day out.

"We're there early working hard every day. This is just huge for the program."

Tied at 2 in the third period, Repas lit the lamp for the biggest goal in program history, as the senior forward put away a low wrister from the left side 63 seconds in.

"It is absolutely amazing," Repas said. "Four years ago, I had never ice skated in my entire life, and to score the game-winning goal and get the first divisional championship, it's unreal. It's one of the happiest moments of my life.

"We knew we had to get the next goal. It was the biggest goal of the game. It was the last goal of the game. We just went as hard as we could. I didn't really care who scored it -- our goalie could have scored it and I would've been happy."

From there, the Wolverines did their part in the defensive zone, getting nine saves in the pivotal third period from goaltender Brenden Judson and improvement on the backcheck after some early struggles in that regard.

Skyler Rossbach struck 1:56 in for West G and played the third period with a cut hand after being sliced by a skate in the second period. Tate Georgevitch had the other tally for the Wolverines at the 4:43 mark of the first when he snapped off a wrister just four seconds after the Tigers (11-5-2, 9-3-1) had tied it at 1.

Coming into Saturday, West G had already set its school record for wins and goals scored in a season, but with its latest victory things got even better, taking care of a step -- and a dogpile -- that was long overdue.

"(Getting to the Baron Cup) was the goal at the beginning of the year," Gilliam said. "I just knew, with the foundation we had, it was just building up. And I knew it was there.